After Li Desheng knew Guo Shao's background, he warmly invited them to move into his home. However, Guo Shao declined the invitation because he saw that Li's house was not spacious and that he had wives and concubines.
A month later, a few peddlers came to Wuqi Town. This was the first time people had seen people from outside in many days.
The main road in the town was very busy for a while, and suddenly this ruined town had some commercial atmosphere. It is said that trade between countries was very frequent at that time, even between hostile countries; but it should be mainly concentrated in big cities and relatively peaceful areas in the south, and in this almost abandoned Wuqi town, there was really not much business to speak of.
The peddler was from Luzhou, and there were three people, one old and two young, driving two donkey carts. They sold a wide variety of goods, most of which were things that the people could not produce on their own. Guo Shao looked around for a while and found that not only could they buy with coins, but they could also barter. Wheat cloth, beef tendons, and even livestock were the things the peddler was most willing to accept.
Guo Shao saw a bow on the stall, so he greeted and reached out to take it. As soon as his fingers touched the bowstring, he put it down and took it back. Seeing this, the old man smiled and said: It can be used for hunting. If a warrior wants to buy a good one, he must place an order in advance.
Guo Shaodao: You only come once a month.
The old man shook his head and said: I don't know when the next time will be. People in the streets and alleys of Luzhou are talking about the Khitan soldiers crossing the Zhuozhang River to plunder Luzhou. Have you heard the news yet
Guo Shao shook his head and said in surprise: "Our army is surrounding Taiyuan, where can the Khitans go south from?"
I don’t know, I just heard that he would come to Luzhou, so if he really comes, it might be soon.
Guo Shao wanted to find out more information, but unfortunately the old man didn't know much and was vague in his words.
He had no choice but to ask Yang and Luo to leave. Yang Biao wondered: I'm afraid the peddler is just lying. The government's army attacked Jinyang, and the Northern Han was in danger. Why did the Khitans not save the Northern Han and come to Luzhou
Guo Shao said: If the Khitans have a way to plunder Qinlu and other places, it will certainly be useful. The purpose of the Imperial Army's expedition was originally to repel foreign invaders, but after the Battle of Gaoping, they continued to besiege Jinyang. It is inevitable that they are not well prepared, and the extended route will cause supply difficulties; if the Khitans harass our rear grain route, it will inevitably aggravate the problem of food shortage in the front. What I can't figure out is where the Khitan army came from. They have already opened up the Daixin Basin and we don't have a map, so it's hard to guess what's going on.
After hearing this, Yang Biao said: Go ask the town commander Li Desheng and see how much he knows.
Exactly. Guo Shaodao.
The two men discussed, and Luo Mengzi could not join in the conversation, nor did he interrupt. Compared with Yang Biao's knowledge, Luo Mengzi was much worse, and could only listen when they talked about serious matters.
The three of them walked to the door of Li's house and saw boxes carrying things out. There were two mule carts at the door, almost full of things, as if they were moving. After a while, Li Desheng came out to check the things and found them, so he hurried over to meet them. Guo Shao pointed at the things and said: General Li is moving to a new house.
Li Desheng frowned and said: "Why move? The Khitans wanted to plunder Luzhou, so I quickly asked my wife and children to take their belongings and hide in Luzhou for a while. I was just about to send someone to tell General Guo, and then you came in person."
In terms of rank, a town commander is higher than a captain, and Guo Shao's actual military system is only a tenth commander, but he was promoted to captain. But a town commander like Li Desheng has no status without soldiers; he learned that Guo Shao had made great achievements and even the emperor and the commander of the Palace Front Division had praised him, so he was very polite in his words.
So that's the case. General Li is also going to Luzhou. Who will be in charge of Wuqi Town
Li Desheng stamped his feet and gritted his teeth and said: "Hey, how dare I run? Don't you know that the new emperor has ascended the throne. In the battle of Gaoping, the strange generals are greedy for life and afraid of death. They have killed many people. It is said that they will settle accounts after returning. On this knife's edge, if I dare to flee at the first sign of the wind, wouldn't I be courting death? You can see that this Wuqi Town is a place where the old and weak wait to die. It has been abandoned for a long time. There are no soldiers and no generals. I just hope that the Khitan soldiers know that we are poor here and don't come.
Guo Shaodao: You are busy today, so I won’t bother you any more.
Look, at least go in and have some tea
Guo Shao looked at the town commander's fat body and thought he had no special abilities, but he didn't look like a bad guy. This confirmed the news that the enemy was coming, and the town commander had already started to send his wife and children away, so it shouldn't be false. If the news was completely unreliable, why would the town commander be so anxious
After leaving Li's house, Yang Biao said: It seems that we brothers should make plans early. Wuqi Town is the territory of Li Yun of Luzhou, and it has nothing to do with the imperial army; what's more, the superiors have placed us here to recuperate, and there is no military order to defend this town. Now that the wounds are almost healed, it is better to take the wounded soldiers away from here and go to Luzhou to find the Zhaoyi Army headquarters for resettlement. Luzhou City has high walls and strong walls, and it will be much safer in the city.
Guo Shao did not comment after hearing this.
Several people returned to the dilapidated residence. For a moment, the atmosphere was a little dull because of something on their minds. Guo Shao pondered for a long time and finally broke the silence: I think the Khitans have not yet opened up the Daixin Basin, otherwise they would have marched to Jinyang after passing Xinzhou; in this case, the government would not be able to continue to besiege Jinyang, and they may have withdrawn their troops. It is impossible for the Khitans to come from Hebei. If the Khitans attacked from the east of Taihang Mountain, why would they come to Luzhou
At the moment, I don't know where this group of Khitan troops came from. It may be from Liaozhou. But in any case, as long as they have not passed through Daixin, their troops will not be too many. They should just take advantage of the opportunity to harass and rob food.
Yang Biao said: "Brother, what you meant is that you want to stay in Wuqi Town.
Guo Shao frowned and punched his left palm twice with his right fist. He gritted his teeth and said: This is what I think. We have risked our lives many times in the past, and each time was more dangerous than this time. Although this place is close to Luzhou, it is not on the main road. The number of Khitan soldiers may not be large. They are likely to be scattered and guerrillas when they get here. Are we still afraid of them
Yang Biao immediately said firmly: You are the eldest brother, just say the word and tell us how to decide.
Guo Shao looked at Luo Mengzi who could not get a word in. Luo Mengzi touched his round head and said: We are brothers. Wherever the eldest brother goes, the brothers must follow.
Guo Shao was very pleased after hearing this, with a strange glow in his eyes. What are we fighting for? In the past, we served the Later Han Dynasty and now we serve the Zhou Dynasty. The people we fought the most were those of our own race who were fighting for power. But today, why don’t we volunteer to fight for the protection of the Han people and repay the people for their kindness in cutting back on food and bringing us tea and meals? If we fight like this, when one day we hear the people’s gratitude for our righteous deeds and recall our original passion, will we regret our decision today
Luo Mengzi was very excited when he heard this: Brother
Yang Biao also looked solemn. He looked at Guo Shao with his tiger eyes and nodded slightly.
Guo Shao stretched out his hand again and clapped his hands, saying: Good brother, it is my great honor to fight side by side with you.
Guo Shaoping calmed down, paced back and forth for a few steps, then turned around and said: Now that we have made up our minds, we need to make some preparations. First, let the town commander Li Desheng help us gain the right to control and mobilize local manpower and material resources; second, repair weapons; third, organize troops; fourth, prepare fortifications and tactical plans.
Yang Biao saluted and said: "Brother, just give your orders. We will follow you and do our best to serve you."
Guo Shao nodded: "Then there is no need to hesitate, let's act separately. I will go to find the town commander first, and the second and third brothers will go to the town to spread the news that the Khitan soldiers are coming, and let everyone go to the town commander's house to listen to the news."
Town commander Li Desheng certainly couldn't compare with the wealthy people in Tokyo, but he must be the richest man in this dilapidated Wuqi Town. The gate of the Li family can be seen, with a wall and a screen wall entrance hall.
The three mule carts that had been parked at the door had already left. Li Desheng led Guo Shao to the main hall and asked someone to serve two cups of tea. Guo Shao sat down and said, "There is something I don't know whether I should ask you or not."
Li Desheng raised his hand and gestured: Guo Lang, you can say whatever you want.
Guo Shao calmly asked: If General Li sacrificed his life for the country, what would happen to his wife, children and property sent to Luzhou City? He paused for a long time deliberately, just to give Li Desheng time to think about it in his mind. In this era, it is normal for women to remarry, but there are not so many rules after the rise of Neo-Confucianism. However, Guo Shao was not in a position to say it clearly, but only hinted at such a prospect, and then he continued, "If you keep the green mountains, you will not worry about lack of firewood. Why don't you think of a way?"
Sure enough, the fat on Li Desheng's face was wrinkled. To be honest, I have never led troops before, let alone what can I do in this shabby place like Wuqi Town.
As long as there are living people, we can find a way. Guo Shao said decisively, if General Li trusts us brothers, we are willing to lend a helping hand.
Li Desheng asked: "What good plan do you have, Guo Lang?"
Guo Shao said calmly: "It is rumored that Emperor Yin of the Later Han Dynasty loved money and hid a lot of property in the deep palace, and even did not pay the soldiers' wages. When the Zhou army attacked Daliang, none of Emperor Yin's subordinates obeyed his orders, and he died and his country was destroyed. What use was there even if he had billions of wealth?"
What Guo Lang meant
Why doesn't General Li take out some money to buy weapons in Luzhou? If he can't buy armor and soldiers, he can get some raw materials back; if he can buy a batch of food, it will be even better. You need to be well fed to fight. If you are not well fed, even if you are a god, you can't help. Then General Li can mobilize the people to save themselves, and get some old and weak people to build fortifications and form infantry. In this way, if they encounter enemy harassment, they can fight, and they don't have to become prey.
Li Desheng stood up and paced, seeming a little hesitant. Why would he hesitate to come to his door to help him defend the town? Could it be that he was reluctant to spend his money
Guo Shao struck while the iron was hot and said: All military positions below the commander-in-chief can be handled directly by the superiors. General Li can appoint me as the deputy commander of Wuqi Town and then order me to guard Wuqi Town. You go to Luzhou to purchase military supplies and send someone to send them back.
How dare I give a position to a general of the imperial guards, Li Desheng said hurriedly.
Guo Shao smiled and said: If the governor of Zhaoyi Army wants to hold someone accountable in the future, General Li will at least have something to say, saying that he has tried his best to arrange defense and prepare military supplies, and has not neglected his duties.
I'm afraid Li Desheng wanted to run away, but the atmosphere of cleaning up the family was quite scary recently, and he was afraid of being implicated. After hearing what Guo Shao said, Li Desheng immediately showed an interested look.
Just then, the servant came in and whispered: There are a lot of people gathered outside, and they heard that the Khitan soldiers are coming.
Let's go out and take a look, Li Desheng said.